Nudist grandfather jailed for sexual abuse

A nudist has been jailed for more than three years for sexually abusing his granddaughter.

The man, 62, pleaded guilty to persistent sexual exploitation over four years, while the girl was as young as seven.

The Adelaide District Court was told there were sexual acts and indecent assaults and the girl was photographed in suggestive poses while she was naked.

Judge Barry Beazley said the man and his wife were nudists and the girl and her parents had accepted their decision.

"The circumstances of your offending are both sad and somewhat perplexing. You are generally well-regarded in the community ... you were regarded as a person generally willing to help others," the judge told the man.

"Your offending has been a tragedy for everyone in your family.

"On any objective view you know your conduct was appalling. You were in a position of trust. You knew that what you were doing was wrong."

Judge Beazley said the offences fell short of the worst category of such offending but the predatory nature of the conduct, the age of the victim and the number of sexual acts made the case extremely serious.

"It has been said many times before that this type of offending causes a feeling of outrage and revulsion in the community," he said.

"You robbed your victim of her innocence and deprived her of her right to have a happy childhood, in circumstances where you were in a position of trust."

Judge Beazley told the man the offences were too serious to suspend his seven-year jail sentence and three-and-a-half-year non-parole term.

"I readily accept that, because of your health in particular, a sentence of imprisonment would be more difficult for you. I note also that it is likely that you will spend time in protective custody," he said.

"Your health, however, is not so frail as to lead to a conclusion that it would be unduly harsh for you to spend time in custody."

The sentence will be back-dated to when the man was taken into custody.